Surface marker



Feb. is 19300 R. FOSTER SURFACE MARKER Filed June 1927 Patented Feb. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT FOSTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO METAL TRAFFIC MARKER COR- romrrou, or NEW YORK, .N'. in,

A CORPORATION 01 NEW "YORK SURFACE MARKER Application filed- June 4, 1927. Serial No. isa4as.

ures, symbols and other possible indicia intended to convey definite information.

Another object is to provide a marker, comprising a disc-like head having means adapted to enter and secure the same to any desired,

surface, which will be referred to hereinafter as a road surface, a portion of the underside of said head normally resting upon and be ing directly supported by said road surface, while there is also provided an annular recess or groove adapted to receivethe material vof said surface which is displaced laterally by the entrance of the securing means thereinto. ,I

v A further object is to provide this structure in combination with a plate or sheathing preferably of relatively high. light-refracting, substantially non-corrosive material, such for instance as nickel, stainless steel, ascoloy, orvMonel metal, well-known metal alloys of commerce, said plate or sheathing being secured to said head in any suitable manner, as for instance by inwardly turning or crimping the peripheral edge portion of the former about the corresponding periphery of the latter..

Still another object is to provide a marker, comprising a disc-like head having a preferably integral, hollow attaching means for securing said head to the surface of a highway, and the hollow region within said attaching means extending sufficiently far towards the uppermost surface of said head as to provide an intervening wall of substantially uniform thickness, and preferably of less or at most of no greater thickness than the major portion of said head, for a purpose hereinafter described;

And a still further object is to provide such a marker with an attaching means, comprising a substantially cylindrlcal wall so cut as to provide circumferentially spaced spikelike projections, the bore of said means tapering inwardly and adjacent to its upper extent flaring radially outwardly, also for a purpose hereinafter described.

Still furthermore, while the present invention is 4 described as comprising a light-reflecting metallic sheathing, originally separate and then secured to the head of the marker, the scope of the invention is to be understood as comprising the covering of the marker head with any suitable metal or alloy by electroplating, by chemical deposit, or amalgamation, by dipping in suitable material,

by coating with enamel, or the like, or in fact by marking the head alone, or the entire structure, of suitable metal or other material by which the marker is sufiicient discernible under ordinary conditions in contrast to the surrounding surface of the highway, or other surface.

l/Vith these and other objects in mind, the present invention comprises further details of construction and operation which are fully brought out in the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal, diametrical section of one embodiment of the invention, with the cover plate or sheathing in spaced relation with the remaining portions of'the device; Fig; 2 is a bottom plan view of the head and attaching portions of the device, with the normal outline of the inwardly turned marginal portion of the sheathing shown in dot-and-dash lines; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to r Fig; 1 but showing the sheathing united with its radially outer edge portion, if desired, may be provided with an annular groove 5 for a purpose hereinafter described.

Extending downwardly from the normal under side of this head and integral therewith is a preferably cylindrical attaching means 6, having a bore 6", the lowermost free end portion of which means is longitudinally cut so as to provide downwardly. tapering spaced spikes 7 or the like which are slightly ylelding radially, the internal diameter of said spikes taken as a group preferably taperinginwardly and upwardly from their free end ortions to their point of union with one anot er, and the external diameter of said spikes thereby being substantially uniform withthat of the shank 6 of said attaching means. Internally, the bore 6 of said attaching means continues inwardly and upwardly and terminates in such relation with the oppositely positioned central portion of the convex surface 3 of the head as to give the central portion 1 thereof preferably a substantially uniform thickness; at least, the thickness of the said central 'portion of the head should be such that, while it is adequately suilicient to withstand any reasonable weight of vehicles passing thereover, or the im act from the blows of a sledge or other imp ement by which the marker is secured to the highway surface, this wall is in no case so thick that in cooling after being cast, that the vertical or transverse shrinkage of the same will be sufficient to cause an indentation in the upper convex surface thereof.

Surrounding the attaching means 6 and radially inwardly from the marginal portion 2, the head of the device is provided with a preferably annularly extending groove or channel 8, which as shown in Fig. 3 is adapted to receive the material 9 of the highway surface, such as asphalt or the like, which may be displaced laterally as the result of driving or otherwise forcing the attaching means 6 and its spikes 7 into said surface. At this point it should also be noticed that the diameter of the bore 6 of said attaching means at its innermost limit increases so as to maintain the point of union of the attaching means with the head of substantially uniform thickness, and curved to prevent crystallization at the junction of the head and stem, and in order also to provide an en Iarged cavity 10 within which the material 11 of the highway surface is adapted to settle and flatten out or swell, after being tem porarily squeezed through the relatively smaller bore 6' of said attaching means, as the latter is forced into said surface material. Such a rounded union or joint between head and stem by minimizing crystallization'insures a strength impossible to obtain and to maintain with square or angular corners. Thus, any extent to which the core 11 may swell will supplement frictional engagement and the spread of the spikes 7 as a means of maintaining the marker in a fixed predetermined position upon the surface of a highway.

While, as. before referred to, the head alone or both the head and attaching means of the marker may be formed of a metal, metal alloy, or the like, such as to prevent a relatively brighter or light-reflectin surface than the. surrounding surface of a iighway, it has thus far been found commercially feasible to form the head and attaching means as an integral structure by casting the same in iron,'steel .or other hard, wear-resisting and relatively inexpensive material. However, as the upper exposed surface of a marker of iron, steel or similar metal is liable to rust or corrode and is not distinctl contrastable in color or light-reflecting c aracteristic from the surroundin highway surface, such desirable characterlstic may be obtained. by enamelling, electro-platlng, or otherwise coating the head, or as shown in the drawings, by providing a sheathing for said head, comprising a disc or plate of socalled Monel metal, ascoloy, stainless steel, or similar alloys, said plate comprising a central convex portion 12 adapted to lie in uniform contact with the correspondingly shaped surface 3 of the head of the marker and having a marginal portion 13, adapted to be bent;

around and reversely folded, crimped, or rolled, so as to lie firmly against the under side of the periphery 2 of the marker, as shown in Fig. 2, or to lie within a groove 5 provided for that purpose in the under surface of said head.

Such a marker as that heredescribed is adapted to be placed in any desired osition in a highway, comprising all we] -known surface coverings, and is adapted to be driven, by means of a sledge hammer or the like, directly into the highway surface from which, while it can be removed if necessary, it is prevented from accidental or other separation or change of position. Also, referring to Fig. 3, the core 11 of the highway surface material, instead of terminating in spaced relation with the central portion 1 of the head of the marker, ma in fact reach to and unite with the surroun ing portions of said head in supporting said central portion and the weight of vehicles or other bodies resting thereupon.

having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A surface marker, comprising a disclike head and a hollow tubular radially expansible attaching means carried thereby, the hollow region of said means extending closely adjacent to the opposite surface of said ead and increasing in diameter inwardly, so as to extend radially between the opposite surfaces of said head and provide a central portion of said head of substantially uniform thickness.

2. A surface marker, adapted to be inserted axially into the material of a given surface and comprising a disc-like head having a marginal portion adapted to lie upon and in substantially uniform contact with the surface of a highway, and an integral tubular attaching means integrally connected to said head, the central hollow region of said means having an inner end portion of greater diameter than its bore and adapted to receive material of a highway surface expanded therein after passing through the bore in said means.

3. A surface marker, comprising a head, and an integral tubular surface-attaching means extending freely therefrom, said means bein longitudinally bifurcated to provide flexible. prongs adapted to expand radially as'the are driven into a given surface, and the ore of said means extending beyond the plane of the adjacent face of said head,towards and increasing diametrically adjacent to the opposite face of said head, to form a hollow region in which the surface material can expand after entering through said bore.

4. A surface marker, comprising a head, and an integral tubular surface-attaching means extending freely therefrom, said head having an annular groove surrounding said means and adapted to receive material of said surface as displaced by said means when driven thereinto, said means being longitudinally bifurcated to provide flexible prongs adapted to expand radially as they are driven into a given surface, and the bore of said means extending beyond the plane of the adjacent face of said head, towards and increasing diametrically adjacent to the opposite face of said head, to form a hollow re gion in which the surface material can expand after entering through said bore, said hollow region and said groove cooperating to maintain a uniform thickness of the walls of said attaching means as said walls approach and flare outwardly towards their union with said head.

5. A surface marker for vehicle traffic, comprising a head having its exposed surface of light reflecting character, a fastening stem tubular for its entire length and integral with and extending from the center of said head, said fastening stein having its lower end cut away in parts to form independent pron s thereon, said prongs being pointed and aving tapered surfaces which engage the material into which the marker is driven tocause said prongs to materially flex from the axis of said fastening means and-thereby provide positive anchoring means against axial movement, the under side of said head being provided with a groove near said fastening stem to receive the displaced magerial to thereby allow said marker to lie 6. A surface marker for vehicle traflic, comprising a head having its exposed surface of light reflecting character, a fastening stem tubular for its entire length and integral with and extending from the center of said head, said fastening stem having its lower end cut away in parts to form independent prongs thereon, said prongs being pointed and having tapered surfaces which engage the material into which the marker is driven to cause said pron 's to materially flex from the axis of said astening means and thereby provide positive anchoring means against axial movement.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

ROBERT FOSTER. 

